LOS ANGELES – US security researchers said on Tuesday that the pilot of the Kobe Bryant helicopter flew through the clouds last year in an apparent violation of federal standards, likely disoriented just before the helicopter crashed and killed Bryant and eight others.
Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said pilot Ara Zobayan was flying under visual flight rules, which meant he needed to be able to see where he was going.
Zobayan sent the plane to climb sharply and was nearly broken through the clouds when the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter came to an abrupt end and crashed into the hills of Southern California, killing everyone on board.
The helicopter did not have so-called “black box” recording devices, which were not needed.
The disclosure at a hearing to announce the likely cause or causes of the crash followed a lot of finger pointing.
Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, blamed the pilot. She and relatives of the other victims also made mistakes at the companies that owned and operated the helicopter.
The pilot’s brother didn’t blame Bryant, but said he was aware of the risks involved in flying. The helicopter companies said that foggy weather before the helicopter hit the ground was an act of God and blamed the air traffic controllers.
The federal hearing focused on the long-awaited likely cause or causes of the tragedy that caused worldwide grief for the retired basketball star, launched several lawsuits and led to state and federal legislation.
Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and six other passengers were flying from Orange County to a youth basketball tournament at his Mamba Sports Academy in Ventura County on January 26, 2020, when the helicopter hit dense fog in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles.
Zobayan climbed sharply and nearly broke through the clouds when the helicopter tilted abruptly and crashed into the hills of Calabasas, killing all nine on board immediately before the flames engulfed the wreckage.
There was no sign of mechanical failure, and the crash was believed to be an accident, the NTSB previously said.
The board will likely make non-binding recommendations to avoid future crashes. The NTSB is an independent federal agency that investigates transportation-related accidents, but it has no enforcement powers.
It submits suggestions to agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration or the Coast Guard, which have repeatedly rejected some of the council’s safety recommendations after other disasters.
A possible recommendation after the investigation into the crash that killed Bryant could be that helicopters have terrain awareness and warning systems, devices that signal when planes are about to crash.
The helicopter that flew into Bryant did not have the system recommended by the NTSB as mandatory for helicopters. The FAA only requires it for air ambulances.
Federal lawmakers have sponsored the Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act to make the devices mandatory on all helicopters carrying six or more passengers.
Former NTSB Chairman James Hall said he hopes the FAA will need the systems as a result of the crash.
“Historically, it took high-profile tragedies to move the regulatory needle forward,” he said.
The devices, known as TAWS, cost more than $ 35,000 per helicopter and require training and maintenance.
Helicopter Association International, representing the helicopter industry, discouraged what it called a “one-solution-fits-all” method.
President and CEO James Viola said in a statement that requiring industry-wide specific equipment would be “ineffective” and “potentially dangerous”.
Although Zobayan was flying at low altitude in a hilly area, the warning system may not have prevented the crash, said Ed Coleman, a professor of safety at Embry-Riddle.
The rough terrain could have set off the alarm “constantly” and distracted or prompted the pilot to lower or ignore the alarm, Coleman said.
Federal investigators said Zobayan, an experienced pilot who often flew Bryant, may have “misunderstood” the angles at which he descended and banked, which can happen when pilots become disoriented in low visibility, according to NTSB documents.
The others killed in the crash were Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri, and their daughter Alyssa; Christina Mauser, who helped Bryant coach his daughter’s basketball team; and Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton. Alyssa and Payton were Gianna’s teammates.
The crash has led to lawsuits and counterclaims.
On the day a massive memorial service was held at the Staples Center, where Bryant played most of his career, Vanessa Bryant sued Zobayan and the companies that owned and operated the helicopter for alleged negligence and the wrongful death of her husband and daughter . Families of other victims have sued the helicopter companies, but not the pilot.
Vanessa Bryant said Island Express Helicopters Inc., which operated the aircraft, and its owner, Island Express Holding Corp., did not properly train or supervise Zobayan. She said the pilot was careless and negligent about flying in the fog and should have aborted the flight.
Zobayan’s brother, Berge Zobayan, has said that Kobe Bryant was aware of the risks of flying in a helicopter and that his survivors are not entitled to compensation for the pilot’s estate. Island Express Helicopters Inc. denied responsibility, saying the crash was “an act of God” that it could not control.
The company also opposed two FAA air traffic controllers who said the crash was caused by their “series of misconduct and / or omissions.”
The counter-suit alleges that an air traffic controller falsely rejected Zobayan’s request for “flight tracking” or radar assistance while continuing in the fog. Officials have said the controller was terminating service because the radar could not be maintained at the altitude at which the aircraft was flying.
According to the lawsuit, the controller said he would lose radar and communication soon, but radar contact was not lost.
When a second controller took over, the lawsuit said, the first controller had not informed him about the helicopter, and because radar services had not ended properly, the pilot thought he was being tracked.
Vanessa Bryant also sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, accusing deputies of sharing unauthorized photos from the crash site. California now has a state law prohibiting such behavior.